It Doesn't Matter
by AnimeNinja
Summary: What if Julia never died? Which would mean that Spike didn’t run off to fight Vicious. Which means Spike never died. And neither did Vicious.
1. Default Chapter

Title: It Doesn't Matter

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own CB.

Summary: What if Julia never died? Which would mean that Spike didn't run off to fight Vicious. Which means Spike never died. And neither did Vicious.

All right, listen up. This is my first, FIRST Cowboy Bebop story. No, not my first Fan Fiction or first story ever, just my first Cowboy Bebop fiction. I tried to make it as Cowboy Bebop realistic as possible, but we don't really know much about how Spike acted like around Julia and vice versa, so I tried to use my judgment and be sweet but not too sweet at the same time! And I tried to make all the characters the way they would act, so if they're a little off, please forgive me! I tried my best! So go easy on me! ^_^ I wasn't sure if I should put this up or not, and I'm still not sure. I just hope you all like it at least a little. Believe me, I hate Julia too but really I thought that this would be interesting. It takes place after Spike goes off to meet with Julia. So he and her never stayed to fight all of Vicious' men at Annie's shop. They just come back to the Bebop. Oh yeah, and if someone already has a story with this type of plot/story line, then I totally didn't and still don't know. So forgive me, I'm not copying anyone, I swear! Please don't hurt me! ^_^ Well then, on with the story. I just hope that all the italics and bold works…

Chapter 1 

            Faye sat on the couch with her legs crossed, her arms draped lazily over the back and a cigarette in her mouth. Jet still hadn't repaired anything around here, not the Redtail and not the Bebop. And Spike still wasn't back yet. He'd been gone for at least an hour. Meeting Julia 'there.' Wherever that was. She had to admit, she liked the girl. She was cool, she thought so the moment she met her. But she was Spike's everything, his life, his only reason for staying alive. And Faye despised her for that.

            She heard the hanger doors open. She sat up straight and quickly removed the cigarette from her mouth, smashing it out on the ashtray. Footsteps. She looked up to find Spike walking in with his hands in his pockets.

            "Where have_ you_ been?" Faye asked. She didn't have to ask; she knew he had been with Julia. But she felt she had to say something

            Spike stopped and just looked at her. It was of those absolutely blank looks that had no feeling or expression. You couldn't tell if he was angry, happy, pissed off or drunk. After a minute of simple staring in silence, he looked back ahead and continued waling down the hall.

            And someone was behind him that Faye completely failed to notice. Julia. She stopped, and looking at Faye, smiled faintly. "Hello Faye."

            Faye just stared in shock. Of course Spike would bring her here, what else did she expect? But this was going to change everything. Faye blinked and swallowed. "Hi…Julia…"

            Julia followed Spike down the hall. Faye held her breath until she heard Spike's door close.

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike locked the door after he shut it. Julia stood against the wall, studying the place he had been living for the last three years. She turned her attention back to him. He was sitting on his bed, smoking a newly lit cigarette with his eyes closed.

            "This is where you've been the past few years?" Julia asked softly.

            "Yeah…It's not much, but it's home." He smiled a little smirk before taking a drag from his cigarette.

            "With her?" She added.

            Spike let his head fall against his back. "Well, there's also Jet. And there was Ed, but she left a few days ago."

            She only arched an eyebrow. She wasn't going to ask. She knew that Spike didn't like to talk much about this sort of thing. So she brought up something else, something worse. "What about Vicious?"

            He pulled his head back up straight. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and let out a stream of smoke. "What about him?" His voice was rough. It was that deep, serious tone that he would use.

            "He'll find us Spike." Julia stated. "No matter where we go."

            He let out a small sigh, smoke curling in the air. He stood up and dropped his cigarette into the ashtray on his nightstand. He looked at Julia, and they just stared at each other in silence. With one hand in his pocket, he strode over to her. She looked up at him; into the mismatched eyes she missed so much. She missed getting lost in them; she missed the funny feeling she got after staring into them for a while.

            Spike raised his free hand to touch her face. Gently running his finger down her jaw. He moved his hand to her hair, silky and soft. Heaven to touch. He cupped the back of her head and tilted her face up closer to his. "We'll worry about that later." He said in a whisper. He leaned down to kiss her, the kiss they both dreamed of and longed for everyday the past three years. The one they'd both been striving for since that day. 

*          *            *            *            *

            Faye sat on the deck of the broken Bebop. Resting her elbow on her knee, and her chin in her hand, she gazed at the all the stars. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. And to make it worse, she just couldn't ignore or block out the sounds of the lovemaking. It made her sick. 

            If Jet would just hurry up and fix the ship and the Redtail, she'd go away for a while. Until morning at least. If her ship were working she'd be getting drunk right now. She figured that no matter how good that sounded, it was probably better that she couldn't go.

            With a sigh, Faye looked down at Ed's goodbye scribbled across the deck. She envied the kid. She had a place to go besides this tin can. Faye on the other hand, didn't. Which was the only reason she came back. That, and him, but now…She just wanted to leave.

            As she lit up a cigarette, she heard the soft patter of feet inside the ship. It was probably just Jet or Ed…No, just Jet getting a snack. That was something they all had a tendency to do at night. She ignored it and went back to her thoughts. She didn't get very far however. The door opened behind her. She held her breath, knowing that someone was there, watching her. A chill went up her back as there was a long silence.

            "What are you doing out here?" 

            She bit her tongue and closed her eyes. It was Spike. The last person she expected it to be. And she really didn't feel like dealing with him now.

            "I could be asking you the same thing." Faye replied with irritation. 

            "Couldn't sleep." Spike walked over and sat down next to her.

            Faye smirked. "Well, what a coincidence. Neither could I." She could feel his eyes on her, but she wouldn't look at him.

            "Aren't you cold?" He asked softly.

            She was a bit taken aback by this question. She looked at him with plain confusion. Why did he come out here? Normally he would have just shrugged his shoulders and went back to bed. But he came out here, and asked if she was cold.

            She growled and looked away from him. "As if you'd care!"

            Spike sighed. "Well I'm cold."

            "Then why don't you go back inside with _her?_" Faye spat, still not looking at him. "You two sure know how to keep warm."

            The silence that fell after that made a huge knot form in her throat. She bit her lip; she wanted to take those words back. Spike didn't say anything; he just stood up and started to walk away, back towards the door.

            "Spike…" His footsteps stopped. Faye swallowed and lowered her head. "I'm sorry." She said weakly.

            There was another silence. Faye held her breath, waiting for him to reply. But he didn't. There were a couple soft patters of his feet, and then the door slid closed. 

            She let out a long breath, letting the cigarette fall from her mouth. She started to tremble and she covered her eyes with her hand. She _was_ sorry that she said that to his face. Yet she was screaming it at him in her mind even now. That's all she wanted to do, scream at him. She wanted to let out all her frustration. Just yell and scream at him until her throat is torn. But at the same time she wanted to chase after him and beg for forgiveness.

            At least he didn't slam the door.

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike closed his door behind him with a soft click. He looked over at Julia, wrapped in the sheets of the bed and the dark shadows spilling over her angelic form. It a sight he truly missed.

            "Where'd you go?" Julia asked sleepily as she sat up.

            He smiled at her voice. So soft and warm, like a mid summer breeze. "I just went for a snack."

            Julia smiled faintly and closed her eyes halfway. "Come here." Spike walked over and sat on the bad. Julia reached up and gently put her hand I his hair. She rested her forehead against his; staring into his two tone eyes. "Where will we go?" She whispered. "Where can we be alone, away from everyone? What place can we go where it will be like watching a dream?"

            He stared back at her, gazing into her deep blue eyes. He softly stroked her face. "We'll find it. It's out there, we just have to find it."

            Julia leaned back and removed her hand from his hair. She stared at him "No matter where we go, Vicious will find us. You know that Spike."

            Spike stood up and went to the window. He stared out at the desert around them in silence. "Yeah." He said in that low, soft voice. "I know. And I'll be waiting for him."

            She stepped off the bed and stood behind him. "He'll kill you Spike."

            He smiled a little. "That's what you said last time. And I'm still here, three years later."

            "Things were different then. He's the leader of the Red Dragons now." Julia reminded him calmly. "He'll have his men looking for us on every planet." She lowered her head. "How can we live in a dream if we're being hunted? If everywhere we go we have to carry a gun and look over our shoulder?" She looked up at his reflection in the window. "We can't go anywhere until Vicious is dead."

            Spike closed his eyes. "I already told you Julia, I'll be ready for him. And when he finds us, I'll kill him. It won't be long now."

            "So what do we do until then?" She asked.

            He opened his eyes again to gaze out at the red landscape. "We stay here. Right here on Mars."

*          *            *            *            *

            She was getting bored. She tossed the stupid magazine to the floor and rested on her hand. There was nothing to do in this place. And the atmosphere was different now that Ed and Ein were gone and _Julia_ came on board. Why did everything have to be so broken? She needed to go to a bar, _bad._ And maybe a casino before or after.

            "Hey Faye," Jet said as he walked in, still leaning on the crutch to support his leg. "Has Spike come back yet?"

            Faye looked at him. "He got back last night. And he brought _Julia_ with him."

            His back straightened and he stiffened. "Julia?" Then he relaxed and a soft smile spread across his lips. "So he finally found her, huh? That's good, I'm happy for him."

            She stood up abruptly. "Yeah that's fantastic Jet." She said with sarcasm. "Is the Redtail fixed yet?"

            "No, not yet." Jet shook his head. "I was gonna ask Spike to help me out with it, with my leg being the way it is."

            Faye snorted. "Sure, if you can pry him from his precious _Julia._"

            Jet raised an eyebrow at her. "What's with you?"

            She looked away from him. "Nothing." She whispered, looking down. "Nothing at all."

*          *            *            *            *

            Julia walked into the main room to find Faye sitting on the couch. Spike and Jet were both working in the hanger and she had nothing to do. Besides, she and Spike were going to be here for a while. Might as well get to know Spike's friends, the ones he's been living with. Besides, Faye helped her out a lot back on Mars. She owed her a lot.

            She sat on the opposite end of the couch. "Hi Faye."

            Faye quickly glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "Hi."

            "I wanted to thank you for helping me out on Mars."

            She shrugged. "It was nothing I couldn't handle."

            "I, also wanted to thank you for relaying my message to Spike." Julia added. "If it weren't for you, Spike and I probably would have never seen each other again. I owe you everything."

            Faye's breath caught in her chest. Was it really because of her that Spike and Julia were reunited? She thought about it, and then came to the conclusion that it was true. It made her sick to her stomach. If she hadn't given Julia's message to Spike, Julia wouldn't be here. And Faye would have him all to herself. Well…sort of…

            She realized that Julia was waiting for her to respond. So she shrugged and kept her eyes on her magazine. "Sure." She mumbled. "No problem."

            _And you're_ **not** _welcome._

"Faye?" Julia said her name to get her attention. Faye turned her head to face the woman. Julia had this empty look on her face. Empty, blank and emotionless. Just like Spike does it.

            "What is it?" Faye finally asked.

            Julia smiled her soft little smile. "Could I have a cigarette please? I ran out."

            Faye just stared at her. She wanted to jump up and scream, '_heck no!_' But part of her still liked Julia. So instead she smiled and laughed softly. "Sure!"

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike wiped some oil off his face. He frowned. This was so lame; it was _Faye's _ship. Why didn't _she_ help fix it? "Jet, this isn't fair." He complained.

            "Oh quit complaining you big baby." Jet said with a roll of his eyes. "Faye's bandaged you up twice and it saved your life. I think you owe her at least this much."

            "Is that what this is about?" Spike asked. "You coulda just told me. I would have-"

            "No Spike, that's not why I asked you to help me." Jet interrupted.

            Spike frowned again as he looked at Jet. "Then why did you?"

            Jet's face scrunched up with anger and frustration. "Because the quick I get the Redtail fixed, the sooner Faye will go and find something to amuse herself. Then she won't be pestering me and I'll finally be able to fix the Bebop so we can get off Mars! And besides, it's not like you do much work around here anyway."

            Spike didn't really plan on telling Jet what his and Julia's plans were concerning Vicious. But if Jet got the Bebop fixed before Vicious showed up, he might have to. And he really didn't want to have to.

            _You better hurry up Vicious._

            "So Spike," Jet said, breaking Spike from his thoughts. "Where's Julia? I want to meet her when we're done."

            "Oh, she's around here somewhere." Spike answered with a light sigh.

            Jet smiled a little. "Does she like bell peppers and beef, without the beef?"

            Spike chuckled. "Couldn't tell ya. Guess we'll have to find out, huh?"

            Jet also chuckled. "Guess so." He stood up and cleaned his hands off best he could with a rag. He leaned on Faye's ship for support, since his crutch was out of reach. He watched as Spike lit up a cigarette. "What're you gonna do now that you found her?" Jet asked quietly.

            Spike blew out a stream of smoke and shrugged. "I don't know. Never really thought about it."

            "Well," Jet grunted as he grabbed his crutch. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like. The longer the better."

            Spike smiled. "Thanks Jet."

*          *            *            *            *

            After Jet had set the food out for everyone, he took a seat next to Faye. Julia blinked at the bell peppers a couple times, then glanced at Spike who was already digging in. She shrugged and started to eat. Faye kept her eyes on her food and only her food. She didn't want to look at Julia or Spike right now. After she had given Julia a cigarette earlier, she excused herself and locked herself in her room.

            "So Julia," Jet began. "Spike hasn't really told us about you. Why don't you tell us about yourself?"

            Spike instantly halted his eating. He glanced at Julia, but she had her eyes on Jet. "There's not much to tell really. You already know all there is to know."

            "Well, I won't pry." Jet said with a shrug. "Keep to yourself if you want."

            "Why don't you?" Faye said in a small voice. All eyes moved to her. She snapped her head up to glare at Spike and Julia. "Why don't you tell us all about it? Tell us how you met!"

            Jet was glaring at her. "Faye…"

            She kept going. "Tell us how you knew Vicious and how you all became enemies! Tell us about your past!"

            Spike and Julia only stared at her in silence. They both had the same look. Long and blank, totally empty. It was bone chilling. And it completely pissed her off.

            Faye bit back her anger as she stood up. "Fine. Keep to yourselves for all I care." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

            She headed straight for the bathroom. Once she closed and locked the door, she leaned against it and sighed. A quick, cold shiver ran down her spine. She shook it off and pulled off her cloths. She started the shower and steeped in. As soon as the water hit her skin, she let out a yelp and rushed out of the shower. Her teeth chattered as she dried herself with a towel. She cursed.

            Stupid Julia had used all the hot water.

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike looked back at his food. Faye had pissed him off enough the night before with her little comment. And now she was only making it worse. She always was rude and inconsiderate. But what she just did was going too far. And if she did it again…

            "Sorry about that." Jet said to Julia. "She's been through a lot lately. She's not usually like that."

            Julia nodded. "I understand."

            "No," Spike put down his fork. "She's like that every day. She can be a real pain in the butt sometimes." Julia looked at him and Jet glared at him.

            Jet spoke up again. "Anyway, it's just one of those days for her." He took his plate and stood up. "I have a ship to repair." And he left.

            Julia looked back at her half eaten food. "Is this how you've been living Spike?"

            "Yeah, pretty much." He answered as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "It's not all that bad actually." His voice lowered. "Better than my blood stained life with the Syndicate."

            She turned to face him. "Spike, what's your relationship with Faye?"

            His eyes shot open. "_Relationship?!_"

            "I'm only asking because of what just happened. She's very upset."

            Spike studied her before answering. "There is no relationship, Julia. She's a team mate we never wanted."

            "You don't care about her at all?"

            "No."

            "Then why did you go to save her from Vicious?"

            Spike sat up and looked straight at Julia. "I went for Vicious, not for Faye. You know that."

            They stared at each other in silence. Julia let out a small sigh. "Oh Spike…" She leaned into him, hiding her face in his neck." I've just missed you so much." She whispered.

            "Yeah…" His wrapped his arms around her. "I've missed you too."

            "How long will we have to wait?" She asked quietly. "When will he come?"

            "I don't know."

            "Spike, I don't know how long I can wait." Julia said, looking up at him. "I've been waiting to see you again for three years. I'm tired of waiting."

            He cupped her face with his hand. "Just a few more days Julia. He'll come."

So? What'd you think? Feed back is very welcome! ^_^ I want to know how I did and what you guys think of it so far. Good? Bad? Really Good, or Really Bad? HORRIBLE or TERRIFIC??? Just right or way off? Okay I think you guys get the point, sorry about that! ^_^ Just be kind, okay? Thanks! Chapter 2 is in the works, and is being done very quickly! It will be up soon, so check back soon! ^_~


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! I got some reviews! ^_^ I'm glad that you guys are liking this! That makes me very happy! Very much so! I was afraid that no one would read or that no one would like it! I hope that you all like this chapter just as much, at least. And again, if the characters are off at all, please forgive me! I tried my best, as always. At some parts, they might be a little off, but I did it that way or else what I want to happen wouldn't happen…Probably. So anyway, I hope everyone likes it. So read and enjoy it! ^_^ And please let me know what you think of it!

Chapter 2         

She stormed down the hall. She just couldn't take it anymore. She was wet and cold, out of cigarettes, craving a good drink and felt crowded with _Julia_ around. She had to get out, be alone, get some air. Away from_ here._ And now that her ship was finally fixed, she could do just that.

            She bumped into Jet, knocking him off balance and his crutch falling to the floor. Jet grunted and leaned against the wall. "Watch it Faye." He growled through clenched teeth.

            "Sorry." She replied quietly.

            Jet looked up at her. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

            Faye snickered. "Like you care."

            "Well, just don't be gone too long." Jet said as he bent down to retrieve his crutch. "The Bebop's close to being fixed." He looked at her, but she was still and staring off into space. "Faye?"

            "Yeah whatever." She responded flatly. She moved passed him to the hanger.

            Jet stared after her. "What's going on with her?

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike sighed happily. He looked down at the angel in his arms and smiled a little. He thought that he would never have this again. It seemed like a part of a dream that disappeared and would never come back. Like waking up from a dream and wanting to go back to it. He tightened his hold around her while closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the couch. Julia had either fallen silent or fallen asleep in their embrace, and he had been sitting like that ever since. And he didn't mind at all.

            He heard the fast-paced click of shoes. Someone running. It was obviously Faye; no one else had shoes that clicked so obnoxiously on the ship. He opened one eye just a little sliver just in time to see her run in and head for the stairs.

            "Going to a casino to get wasted, or going to a bar to get wasted?" He asked her without moving.

            She stopped and looked at him. The sight sickened her, what _woman_ so close and snuggled with him. His arms draped in a firm yet relaxed way around her. It sent shivers down her spine and arms. She growled and glared at him. "Shut up Spike." He just chuckled softly as she ran up the stairs and left.

            All was quiet and relaxing again. And it stayed that way for a few minutes. Julia shifted slightly in his hold. He watched as her eyes slowly fluttered and opened. She looked up at him. "Who were you talking to?"

            His face scrunched up with confusion. "Weren't you asleep?"

            She sat up and rubbed one eye. "Partly. I heard your voice. Who were you talking to?"

            Spike shrugged. "It was just Faye."

            Julia rested her head on his shoulder. "Does she hate me?"

            He was surprised by her question, but he shook it off. He opened one eye to look down at her. "Does it matter?"

            "No," She sighed. "No it doesn't. Just curious, that's all."

            "You don't have to worry about a thing, Julia." Spike said, closing his eye again. "We'll be out of here soon. We'll be all alone, away from everyone. We won't have to worry about what people think, or if we're being watched. We'll finally be free."

            "Like watching a dream." She whispered softly.

            "Yeah, like watching a dream."

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike sat with his feet on the table as he flipped through the TV channels. He looked incredibly bored and disappointed. Julia sat next to him reading a book. Neither of them really had anything to do. They were just wasting time, waiting for Vicious. Spike was getting pretty bored with it; he was thinking of just going after Vicious himself. Of course, he hadn't told Julia that. Nor would he. But the more he thought about it, the better it sounded. The sooner Vicious was killed, the sooner he and Julia could leave and actually live their lives.

            But waiting was not fast, it was slow. So very slow. No matter how tempting it was to hunt Vicious down, Spike knew that Vicious wanted exactly that. They knew each other far too well. And it peeved him. Because even if he and Julia started to run, eventually, Spike would be over taken by his desire to rid himself of the predator. He'd be driven by his anger and lust to kill Vicious. And nothing would be able to change his mind. Not even Julia. And Vicious knew that. So he might not come at all. But he wasn't about to tell Julia that.

            And besides, neither of them could live how they wanted, knowing that Vicious is still alive.

            Jet came limping into the living room, his crutch under one arm. "Hey Spike, have you heard from Faye?"

            He looked up at the older man with very little interest. "No. Why?"

            "She's been gone for six hours."

            "So?"

            Jet's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "So, someone has to go get her! She won't answer her communicator, and she won't be back for hours!"

            Spike sighed. "Just let her be, Jet. It's obviously what she wants. She'll come back. She always does."

            "I know that." Jet said. "But I've got the Bebop fixed, and we can't leave without her."

            Spike and Julia looked at each other, not needing words to know what the other was thinking.

            Julia stood up. "I'll go get her."

            "_What?!_" Spike jumped with shocked. He bolted to his feet. "Julia-"

            "Spike, Vicious is still out there." She interrupted. "He could do the same thing he did before. It'll only make things harder for us."

            He relaxed, seeing in her eyes that they would talk about this. He sighed. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

            "Why?" Julia asked.

            "Faye is a hard woman to deal with Julia." Spike said with a small smile. "Especially when she's drunk."

            "I can handle it Spike."

            "I know." He replied. "But it'll be a lot easier if I come too."

            She sighed. "All right."

            Jet put a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Spike, try to bring her back unharmed." 

            Spike chuckled. "I can only try, Jet."

*          *            *            *            *

            "Julia, could you please tell me why we're going to get Faye? She'll only throw some punches or point a gun at us. When she leaves, that means she wants to be alone. And when she wants to be alone, she wants to be alone." Spike reasoned.

            She did not like the fact that he knew Faye so well. "I know that Spike. But she's just bait for Vicious to draw us out. I know you don't particularly care for her, but you're not the type of person to just let someone get kidnapped by Vicious." She let out a long breath. "My only question is, now that the ship is fixed, what'll we do?"

            Spike shrugged. "I'll just tell Jet what we have in mind."

            Julia looked up at him. "Spike, we're putting both Jet and Faye's lives in danger by waiting around for Vicious on the Bebop. You don't think that will anger him at all?"

            "Yeah, I know." He sighed.

            "We need him to give us a ride to wherever it is we decide to go when this is over." Julia explained. "We don't have any money to travel publicly."

            "I know." Spike repeated. "Don't worry. I'll come up with something."

            "Spike?"

            "Yeah?"

            "How are we going to find her?"

            "It can't be too hard." Spike responded. "There's only so many bars on Mars."

            Julia smiled a little at his comment. "But what if she's not at a bar?"

            Spike looked at her. "Trust me, she is. That's all she ever does when she leaves on her own. That, and losing all her money at casinos."

            "It sounds like you know her pretty well." Julia said quietly.

            His back stiffened, catching her line of thought. "Listen Julia, there's only four things that Faye likes to do." He held up his hand and started to list them off on his fingers. "Steal, be obnoxious, get drunk, and gambling. It doesn't take long to get to know a person like Faye."

            "No, I guess not." She agreed.

            They sat in momentary silence. Spike pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Julia. She met his gaze for a short while before he gave her a quick, light kiss. Then he climbed up onto the Swordfish.

            "Come on, let's go get her."

*          *            *            *            *

            Faye's throat burned with sensation as she downed another glass of alcohol. She weakly dropped the glass on the counter and waved her hand at the bar tender for another. With a soft, weary sigh, she rested her cheek in her hand as she brought the cigarette to her lips. Her head was spinning, and it had been for quite a while. But she didn't care. This was the best way to relax and calm her frustration.

            _Julia._ It use to just be a name. A name that was so important and precious to Spike. A name that meant absolutely nothing to her and Jet. A name that lead Spike through a state of desperation. A name that lead Faye and Jet through confusion. It was a name that when spoken, a heavy silence would fall. When it rolled off the tongue it was a strange, brand new feeling. Something that just made Spike even more confusing and mysterious. It was the trigger of that curiosity that could kill you. 

            But now, Julia was just an ordinary name. Nothing special about it. Not to her anyway. Faye couldn't say the name without tainting it with anger. She did not get strongly curious when she heard the name _Julia._ But instead, she would bristle with anger. _Julia_ was no longer mysterious and surreal. No, she was very real.

            _Vicious._ He was something totally different. She met him before she knew his name. He was mysterious and confusing, but he did not trigger her curiosity. He was not something you wanted to chase after and know everything about. He was exactly the opposite. He was the thing that turned a beautiful dream into a nightmare. A nightmare that clings to you when you wake up. When the name _Vicious_ would slip past her lips, it was like a burn on her tongue. The name brought terror and fear. It would lead Spike through a hunt, while Jet and Faye would shudder with fear. Vicious was always very real, from the beginning.

            They were two names she never wanted to hear again. And they were two people she never wanted to see again.

            She snatched up her drink as soon as the bar tender was done pouring. She quickly took a gulp, leaving it half full. She took another suck of her cigarette and let out a puff of smoke.

            What was so darn special about _Julia_ anyway? What was it about her that attracted Spike? He wasn't an easy guy to around your finger. But Julia had him winded up so tight…She must be really special for Spike to be so crazy about her. But Faye didn't see anything special about her. All she saw was an ordinary woman.

            She downed the last of her drink and struggled to stand up. She had to stop. She was getting that dizzy migraine, the hurt and movement in her stomach, and her eyelids were getting heavier. She was barely aware of what was around her. She'd really done it this time. How was she supposed to fly back to the Bebop like this? She stumbled out the door into the night streets of Mars. She took only a couple steps before falling to her knees and throwing up multiple times. When she was done, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and again, struggled to stand. But she couldn't. So she just sat on the ground, leaning against the wall. She took deep breaths. She was really going to regret this in the morning.

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike let out a sigh, the cold air turning his breath into a small cloud of smoke. He was getting tired. They'd been looking for Faye for hours. They had constantly called Jet to see if she was back yet, but she never was. Julia had already come up with the idea that Vicious might have gotten her. But Spike wouldn't let her dwell on that too long. Faye was out there somewhere. But now he was bored, tired and hungry and he just wanted to get back to the Bebop.

            "This is ridiculous." He mumbled. "Why does she have to be so darn hard to find?"

            "It's like you said," Julia responded. "When she wants to be alone, she wants to be alone."

            "Yeah…" He put his cold hands in his pockets. They could really use Ed's help right now. But that wasn't an option; so no point thinking about it. "But she doesn't have to so hard to find."

            "It won't be much longer." She stated.

            "How do you know?"

            "Because we've been searching for hours. We've been to over fifteen bars. There can't be many more." Julia answered.

            Spike cracked a smile. "Yeah, but she could be moving from bar to bar."

            Julia raised one eyebrow. "And why would she do that?"

            He smiled a little wider. "To get away from us."

            She couldn't help but smile. "I'm a little doubtful."

            "Yeah." He agreed. "Me too."

            Julia softly shook her head. "You confuse the hell out of me sometimes Spike."

            He smiled proudly. "Sorry."

            They both stopped walking. There sat Faye, balled up on the ground with her knees to her chest. Julia rushed over to her and knelt down. "Faye?"

            Faye very slowly raised her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were baggy and glazed over. She blinked lazily at Julia. "…Julia…?"

            Spike was now standing next to Julia, looking down at Faye with irritation. "Get up Faye, we're taking you home."

            "Come on Faye," Julia said softly, putting her hand on Faye's shoulder. "We're here to help you." She smiled her little smile.

            Faye looked from Spike to Julia. But she did not have that drunk and tired look. Instead, she was glaring with hatred. "Get your hand off me." She snapped.

            Spike wasn't surprised by this attitude, Julia however, was. She stared at Faye as she very slowly drew back her hand. "Faye-"

            "Just leave me alone!" Faye shouted, abruptly getting to her feet. This knocked Julia back, but she quickly got up.

            "Don't do this Faye." Spike threatened.

            "Oh shut up!" She ordered, turning to Spike. "Why are you even here?"

            Julia now stood next to Spike. "We were worried about you."

            Faye's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me. Don't even talk to me."

            "Why are you doing this Faye?" Julia asked.

            "She's drunk." Spike replied.

            "Ever since you came on board the Bebop, everything's been different." Faye said quietly. "Nothing is the same. And now that you and Spike are together…" She paused and looked away. She spoke to Spike now. "You're going to leave. Just like that, you're gonna leave. Walking away like you never knew about jet and I, or even cared."

            Julia's eyes widened a little and she looked up at Spike. Spike took a step toward Faye, her back still to him. "You're drunk, Faye."

            Her hands curled at her sides. "That has nothing to do with it." She said through clenched teeth.

            "It has everything to do with it." Spike responded.

            Faye spun on her heel to face him. "Why her Spike? What's so special about her?" Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Why are you going to leave us and forget about us?" She whispered.

            "I won't forget about you Faye."

            "Yes you will." She whimpered. "I know you will."

            His shoulders slumped as he sighed heavily. "Listen Faye, would you stop being such a pain in the butt and let us take you home?"

            "I'm not going back Spike."

            "Why?"

            "Because…things are different now."

            "Is it because of Julia?" She didn't answer; she just stared at the ground. "You have no where to go."

            She bolted, running as fast as her legs would take her down the street. She knew that she couldn't outrun Spike; but she didn't expect him to chase after her. But he did, and already he was right behind her. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a painful stop.

            Faye struggled to break his grip, to be free of him. But she couldn't. "Let go!" She screamed.

            Spike pulled both her hands close together and pulled her closer to him. "Stop it Faye. You're drunk and you have no place to go. You can leave tomorrow if you want, but just come back for now."

            "Why do _you_ care?" She asked.

            "I don't. But we've been down here all day looking for you. And now that we've finally found you I'm not going to just leave you here."

            She looked down at her feet. He could feel her starting to tremble. She spoke with a small voice. "Fine."

*          *            *            *            *

            Julia pulled in Faye's Redtail. She climbed out and rushed to the Swordfish. Spike opened the cockpit and carefully began to get out with Faye in his arms.

            "What happened?" Julia asked.

            "She passed out." Spike answered, jumping from his ship to the ground. He shifted his arms to get a better hold on Faye.

            Julia looked down at Faye. "Has this happened before?"

            "No. She usually gets drunk here." Spike answered.

            "She left because I'm here." She whispered. Spike only looked at Julia before carrying Faye into the main room. Julia followed him. "She meant what she said."

            He stopped, his back to her. "It doesn't matter."

            Julia lowered her head. "No…no I guess it doesn't."

            "I'll be right back." He said as he continued to walk down the hall. He stopped at Faye's room and pushed the door open with his back. He walked to her bed and very gently laid her down. He brushed the hair off her face and then stood up straight.

            "Spike…please, please don't leave…don't go…" Faye mumbled in a watery voice.

            He turned to face her, but she was sound asleep. She gripped the sheets tightly and her face scrunched up with sorrow and anger. Spike smiled a little. "Sorry Faye." He said softly. "But I have to." He glanced at her once more as he quietly closed the door behind him.

All right, I know that Faye spoke a lot of her mind in this, but hey, she was DRUNK! And everyone knows that people are different when they're drunk! And I know what you're thinking, "Uh oh, Spike was kinda sweet to Faye in that last part…" No worries you Julia and Spike fans. I don't really plan on this becoming a Spike and Faye fan fiction. And if that is disappointing to some of you, I'm so sorry I don't exactly love Julia either but hey, I'm trying to be realistic here! Just be nice and keep reading, okay? ^_^ Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter! Chapter 3 will be up soon! Thanks guys! ^_~


	3. Chapter 3

Okie dokie. Now some of you, (I'm not naming anyone…) think that Faye wouldn't have gone off to get drunk so soon, and that she's acting a little pathetic. And I do agree that she wouldn't have gone to get drunk so soon. But see the thing is, I don't exactly plan on extending this story to be real long. Maybe eight or ten chapters at the most. Plus, you have to remember that on the show, these episodes aren't exactly all that long, so there wasn't a whole lot of time either. Also I don't really have a whole bunch of ideas to put in to extend this story! So sorry about the Faye thing, I try! ^_^ Now Julia, okay so she is seeming not like a tough girl. But this IS Faye, who is a team mate and comrade to Spike, someone who saved Julia's life back on Mars, relayed Julia's message to Spike, I'm not making her all mean to Faye because (I _think_ I pointed this out in the story) she feels that she owes Faye a lot. (At least, _I_ think she does) But trust me on this, things pick up in Chapter 5(hah! I've already gotten there!) More action, more rough and tough and mean and all that good stuff! So like I said, things might be happening a little fast, but that's because I don't WANT it to be all slow and long and take forever! This is not going to be a 15 or 20 chapter story, sorry. ^_^ So please forgive me all you guys! I'm not the Bebop writers board you know! And I know that Faye isn't that pathetic, sorry but I thought it'd give it more depression and excitement and all that. It probably would take her longer to act this way and all, but like I said, I don't want to drag this out to seven or ten chapters before the action starts happening! Okay enough of my babbling! On with the story…please R and R!!!! Thanks guys! ^_~

Chapter 3

            "So did you get her?" Jet asked quietly.

            Spike nodded. "Yeah."

            "Good." Jet said. "We can finally leave here. I don't want to get attacked by the Syndicate again." He glanced at Spike. "And it'll keep you, and Julia, alive."

            Spike was silent for a minute as he just watched Jet. "We can't leave Jet."

            The older man arched an eyebrow. "What are you talking about Spike?"

            "We can't leave. Not yet."

            "I heard you the first time." Jet mumbled. "Now do you want to tell me why not?"

            "Because Vicious is still alive." Spike answered.

            Jet sat in silence for a while before looking away from his partner. "I'm gonna need more than that, Spike."  
  


            "It we leave, and he's still alive, Julia and I will be hunted for the rest of our lives." Spike explained. "Do you understand?"

            "Yeah, I understand." Jet blew out some smoke and looked up at Spike. "So what're you gonna do?"

            "Wait."

            "What?"

            "Wait…for Vicious."

            Jet sat and thought about this. Then he narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "And what? Put both Faye and I in danger? How do you know he'll even come?" He spat out angrily. 

            Spike closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "You're right, Jet. I'll just go after Vicious right now."

            "That's not what I meant, Spike." Jet said sternly.

            "Then what _do_ you want me to do?"

            Jet sighed and ran a hand over his head. "Can't you just run? Just leave it all behind and live your life?"

            "I already told you, we'd be living the rest of our lives with a gun in our pocket. Looking over our shoulder at each corner. Wherever we go, we'd be pursued. Tell me Jet, is that really living?"

            "No, I guess not." He smashed his cigarette out on the ashtray. "So what're you gonna do? I won't let you wait around here, wasting time."

            "I don't know." Spike answered. "I'll have to talk to Julia about it."

*          *            *            *            *

            Her head hurt. It was like no thing she had ever felt before. Sure, she's gotten drunk before. But this time she really went too far. Oh well, she had good reason to. She moaned as she shifted in her bed. Wait…she was in a bed? How did she get there? The last thing she remembered was Julia crouching in front of her with this worried look on her face.

            _Oh great. I probably did something really stupid._

            She put a hand on her aching forehead as she slowly sat up. The pain made her head feel heavy. She waited for it to subside a little before putting her feet on the ground. She braced herself against the wall as she weakly stumbled to her door. She gripped the doorknob and leaned against the door. She sighed; she couldn't do this. This hangover was far too bad to be getting up now. So she threw herself back onto her bed and curled up under her blankets.

            She couldn't help but wonder what she had done or said to Spike or Julia when she was drunk the night before. She considered that she might not want to know. But she knew that when she was drunk, she was an open door. So she could have spilled all her feelings out to them. And that was not a good thing.

            Faye heard the quiet sound of her door opening. "Who's there?" She mumbled in a groggy and raspy voice.

            There were a few footsteps. She could hear the person walking to her bed. "It's Julia."

            Faye moaned and turned her head away. "What do you want?"

            "I just came to make sure that you didn't drown in your vomit." Came Julia's reply.

            She smirked. "Thanks, but aren't you supposed to do that during the night?"

            "Spike did. Twice." Julia said.

            _Spike_ did? She never would have thought…but then, he did come looking for her when she was drunk. Even if Jet asked him to, he still did it. And then there was that night he came out and sat with her for no apparent reason. Ever since Julia showed up, he had been a little different. Maybe Julia was bringing out his true self…

            "Faye?"

            Faye was a little hesitant before answering. "Yeah?"

            "Do you…" She paused. "Do you need anything?"

            That wasn't what Julia was going to ask, and Faye knew it. She knew all too well that her curiosity was going to get the better of her later. But right now, she really could use some water. "Water would be nice."

            Julia nodded softly. "All right then." She studied Faye's sprawled out form for a second before turning to leave.

            "Julia?"

            She stopped at the door and turned around to look at Faye. "Yes Faye?"

            "…Thanks…"

*          *            *            *            *

            Julia walked into the main room and looked down at Spike, who was stretched out on the couch. She sat on the table next to him. "Spike?"

            "Yeah?"

            "What did you tell Jet?" She asked.

            "The truth." Spike answered.

            "And?"

            "And what?"

            "And what'd he say?"

            "Well," Spike let out a heavy sigh. "He doesn't want to wait around and get attacked by the Syndicate again. But he doesn't want us to chase after Vicious either."

            "So what does he want?"

            "He wants us to run." Spike said. "I told him we can't."

            "So what do we do Spike?"

            He opened his eyes and looked straight into hers. "What do you think we should do?"

            Julia just stared back at him for a minute. "I don't want you to go after him, Spike."

            "No one said that I was going to do that." He stated.

            "I didn't say that anyone did." She responded. "But I don't want you to."

            Spike stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "Then I won't." He started to walk away.

            "Spike…about Faye…"

            He stopped. "What about her?" He asked, his voice suddenly much deeper.

            Julia looked up at his turned away stance. She opened her mouth to talk, but then closed it and looked away. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

            "Yeah," He repeated softly. "It doesn't matter.

*          *            *            *            *

            _Why her Spike? What's so special about her?_

            That scene had replayed in her head a million times. She remembered the tone of Faye's voice, and the expression on her face. It was like it was engraved in her mind. Those words echoed in her head like ringing bells. It was more than obvious to her that Faye had strong feelings for Spike. But did Spike see that? Why was she even asking herself this question? Of course he knew. He had always been the expert at reading people. And Faye was an open book.

            _Ever since you came on board the Bebop, everything's been different. Nothing is the same._

            She always knew that Faye held something against her. She had always been distant and spoke only when necessary when she was around. But when Faye spoke those words, it only strengthened her assurance that Faye hated her.

            _I'm not going back Spike._

_            Why?_

_            Because…things are different now._

_            Is it because of Julia?_

            No answer. Silence meant yet. Faye hated her, it was all so clear.

            But why should she care? It didn't matter what anyone thought of her or Spike. Because once Vicious is dead, everyone would be erased from her and Spike's lives. They would be alone together somewhere, living the life they always wanted. Living a dream. Nothing else mattered.

            _It doesn't matter._

*          *            *            *            *

            Faye's eyelids fluttered open. The glowing numbers on her clock seared into her eyes. She closed them again and hid her face in her pillow. It was already eight-thirty, she had slept all day. At least she felt better. She reached out to grab the cup of water on her nightstand. Her hand hit air. She growled; Julia never brought the water.

            Nothing sounded better than a nice hot shower at the moment. And if there was nothing but cold water, she was going to kick the butt of whoever used the hot water. She smiled a little at that thought. Of course she'd never be able to get anywhere near Julia with Spike around. Not that she would actually do anything. Just a thought.

            She climbed out of bed, now able to stand up right and walk. She wobbled out of her room into the main room. She stopped when she spotted Spike. He sat with one arm hanging over the back of the couch, his right leg stretched out onto the table with his left foot resting on his knee. With his free hand he held a cigarette to his lips and took a drag.

            His eyes moved over to her. He removed the cigarette and let out a line of smoke. "Hey."

            "Hi…" She responded wearily.

            "Feeling better?" Spike asked, his voice lazy and tired.

            Faye nodded. "Yeah…"

            "You were pretty drunk."

            "Was I?" She sighed. "I can't remember."

            He shrugged. "No big surprise."

            "Spike?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Did I…do anything?" She could feel the knot forming in her throat.

            He looked up at her. "You didn't want to come back."

            "I didn't?"

            "Nope." He put the cigarette back in his mouth and let it hang there. His head fell back and hit the back of the couch. "Because of Julia." He mumbled, his cigarette bouncing from the movement of his lips.

            Faye's eyes widened and her back straightened. "Did…did I say that?"

            "Pretty much."

            She looked down. "Oh…"

            Great. She hated it when everyone knew how she felt about something…or someone.

            "You takin' off?" Spike asked. His voice was still that low, relaxed tone that he used so often.

            Faye looked up at him. He was in the same position; his head back against the couch. But now his eyes were closed. A thin trail of smoke curled up from his cigarette resting gently between his lips. His chest moved up and down slowly in a relaxed motion, and the lighting of the room softened his face. He looked so relaxed…

            She was too absorbed in watching and studying Spike that she failed to notice that he had opened his eyes. He was watching her from the corner of his eye. "Faye?"

            She snapped out of her trance. "What?"

            He raised his eyebrows. "You okay?"

            "I'm fine. Why?"

            "Because I asked you a question."

            Faye swallowed. "Oh…what was it again?"

            "I asked if you're taking off."

            Her eyebrows furrowed. "And what makes you ask that?"

            He closed his eyes and sighed lightly. "Well, the only reason you agreed to come back last night was because I told you that you could leave today, if you wanted."

            She blinked a couple times. "Oh…no, I'm not going anywhere."

            She waited for him to say something. An 'oh' or 'good.' Something…anything…But he was silent and back in his completely laid back state that she liked to watch. It was then that Faye realized Julia should be in here to; all snuggled and close to Spike. She grimaced. 

            "Where's Julia?"

            "In the shower." He mumbled in reply. His eyes opened and he was looking at her from the corner of them again. "Why?"

            Faye turned away from him. "Just curious."

            She could feel his eyes on her, his gaze seeping to her bones. She shivered. Why did she have to ask about Julia? Why did she always have to stick her nose in places that would get in her in trouble?

            She quickly ran down the stairs to the lower level, escaping his gaze. Escaping the heavy silence that choked her. She almost bumped into Julia. Faye took a step back and stared at her. Her hair was damp, the bangs hanging in her eyes. Her skin was a soft, pale color, making her deep blue eyes stand out. She sort of…glowed…

            Julia smiled that faint smile of hers. "I'm sorry Faye." Faye only blinked at her. "I left the warm water for you. I thought you might need it."

            Faye was surprised by this. Was she serious, or was she throwing some cruel joke? Why would Julia take a cold shower to leave all the hot water for Faye? This had to be a prank.

            "Thanks." Faye answered with a small smirk. She stepped passed Julia and walked into the bathroom. Once she closed the door, she turned on the water and stuck her hand in.

            It was warm.

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike stared at the fan on the ceiling slowly spinning as he gently ran his hand through Julia's hair; the damp, golden strands separating between his fingers. Even when it was wet, it was so silky and soft. Her shampoo washed away the smoky air and swirled around them. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the clean scent. He loved how she smelled.

            She shifted slightly, getting in a better position to rest her head against his chest. Her hair brushed against his neck and tickled him slightly. He closed his eyes and smiled. Things weren't like this before. Sure they could cuddle like this. But there wasn't the peace and sense of security they had now. It was beautiful…like a dream.

            "Spike?"

            He could feel the vibration of her voice against his chest when she spoke. It was a feeling he had missed.

            "Hmm?"

            "Why do you love me?"

            His eyes shot open. She had asked him this before, back on Mars. He didn't answer, and the question drifted away and vanished. It was forgotten and he never had to answer. But now…now it was not the same.

            "Does it matter why?" Spike asked softly. "I just do, and that's what counts."

            She sighed quietly and closed her eyes. That was all she needed. It didn't matter why, as long as he loved her, she was happy. They were never real big on speaking those three words that couples usually say to each other. In fact, she had never once heard Spike say them. And she never had said them either. Because they didn't need to, they already knew. And that was enough.

            Then she found herself asking a question that she already knew the answer to. "Do you ever miss it Spike? How it use to be?"

            His hand stopped, no longer running through her hair. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the ceiling. "No."

            She closed her eyes once again. "Neither do I."

So um…what did you think? Please don't beat me up! Be nice! LOL Just do your thing, like always. Thanks for reading! And I'll have Chapter 4 up once I get some reviews! Thanks again. ^_~


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, I think that a couple of you misunderstood. I'm not purposefully rushing this story, in fact I'm trying to slow it down and put as much as I can into it! It's just hard is all I'm saying. But this story is NOT rushed. I'm spending a lot of time on it. I do NOT rush stories. I have written many stories and fan fictions and I have not rushed one of them. Just to clear that up! ^_^ Anyways, thanks for the reviews you all! I really appreciate it! Now, on with the story. I don't think that this chapter is all that great, um…so I wont be too surprised if you don't like it much. But I promise it gets better again in Chapter 5! So please forgive me if the characters are a little off again! Oh yeah, and I made the spacing a little smaller for you! Now then, on with the story. ^_~

Chapter 4

            Faye stood and let the hot water run down her body. It felt so nice, the water pounding down on her and seeping into her skin. It sounded so peaceful, the water slapping against the tile and spewing out of the showerhead. It was like rain. Warm, soft, comforting rain that didn't end. She sighed lightly and opened her eyes. She looked down at the drain, watching the water swirl around the hole, falling so easily into the dark pit. Much like all her hopes…Swirling around in her mind like some dream. And then it would slip from her fingertips, just like that. So easily, like the water.

            She closed her eyes again, keeping her head bent down. Her soft, warm violet hair slowly slipped and hung around her face; streams of water dripping down from every cluster of strands. The hot water flowed from her bangs down her face in one fluid motion. The little streams gently searing trails across her face, warming her cheeks.

            She opened her eyes again to watch the water. It rippled as each droplet collided with its surface. It all danced around her feet, being pulled into so simply into the drain. Just like all her hopes…She grimaced a little and covered the drain with her foot. The water was still now, slowly gathering by her feet, rippling and rising. Then she abruptly removed her foot. The drain made a gurgling sound as all the water cascaded into it. Just like that…it was gone. After all the time it took to build it up, it was gone in an instant. Just like that.

            With a sigh she raised her head and turned off the water. She put a towel over her head and moved it around ferociously, trying to dry her hair. She pulled it off and let it drop to the ground. She carelessly ran a comb through her hair a few times before throwing on her robe. She was tired and wanted to sleep. That hang over was still clinging to her, not that it was a real surprise or anything. But it was still making her sleepy, and she wanted just that; sleep.

            Opening the door, she stepped out into the hallway and quietly walked up the stairs. She stopped suddenly and crouched down, peering through the open spaces of the handrail.

            There was Spike and Julia, snuggled and relaxed on the couch. Spike had his head back against the couch's backing, as usual. He was slumped on the couch, his legs stretched out in a lazy form. One arm was stretched out along the top of the back of the couch, while the other held Julia close. Julia had her head resting in the crook of his neck with one arm across his stomach and the other hidden somewhere.

            Faye studied them; how they were both so relaxed, how they seemed to fit together…they looked good together, as much as she hated it, they did. Her long wavy blonde hair, his curly green hair. The way they both seemed to glow…they both had that _thing_ about that, were you just couldn't leave them alone.

            Spike moved his hand from her waist to her hair. "You're cold." He murmured.

            "I took a cold shower." Julia mumbled back.

            His eyes kept closed, but his eyebrows slanted a bit. "Why did you do that?"

            "I thought Faye would need the hot water." She answered quietly. "For her hangover." 

            Spike's lips twitched into that charming smile of his. "Julia…" His voice disappeared like a warm breeze comes and goes.

            Faye turned away and slumped down on the stairs. She put her head in her hands and shut her eyes. She would not sleep tonight. Not with this image now carved into her mind. She bit her lip, why did they have to look so good together? Why Julia? Why did he have to lover her and only her? Why was she his everything, his breath of life?

            Why couldn't _she_ be his everything?

*          *            *            *            *

            "Jet, where are we?" Faye asked with a yawn. She had noticed when she looked out the window that it was stars instead of the red landscape of Mars.

            "Orbiting Mars." Jet answered without looking up from his computer.

            "Orbiting Mars?" She plopped down on the couch. "Why are we doing that?"

            "Because…" He paused. "We're just not ready to go yet."

            Faye raised her eyebrows. "Not ready? I thought you fixed the Bebop."

            "I did."

            "Then why-"

            "Just because." He interrupted harshly.

            Faye studied him for a minute. "Is it because of Spike and Julia?"

            Jet let out a slow sigh, his shoulders slowly slumping. He ran a hand over his head. "Yeah."

            She leaned her head back against the couch. "Where are they anyway?"

            "Down on Mars." Jet replied.

            "On Mars?" Faye asked with a little surprise, pulling her head back up.

            "Yeah. They wanted to go on a walk or something rather." He explained to her.

            Faye looked down for a while. Then she let her head fall back again. She stared at the fan. "A walk on Mars…"

            Jet looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "What?"

            She sighed as she stood up. "Oh nothing."

            He stared after her with curiosity as she walked to her room.

*          *            *            *            *

            As they stepped out of the liquor store, Spike tore open his new pack of cigarettes. He pulled out and lazily stuck it in his mouth. He held the pack out to Julia, who gladly accepted. He shoved the small pack into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. He lit Julia's cigarette before lighting his own.

            She blew out a small puff of smoke. "Is this why we came down here? To get cigarettes?"

            Spike tilted his head back a little and watched the smoke shoot out from his mouth. "Yeah. I was all out."

            "Spike," Julia looked up at him. "We took a big risk coming down here."

            "I know." He replied. He stood up straight and started to walk.

            Julia followed him, walking at his side. "We have to come to a decision, and soon."

            He sighed. "We can't run, we can't stay, and we can't go after Vicious ourselves. But the truth is Julia; we just don't want to do any of those things. It's gotta be one of them though."

            They walked in silence. She looked up and studied him. His eyes were half closed yet fully alert and aware of everything. His mouth was casual and relaxed with the burning cigarette barely hanging from his lips.

            Finally, she spoke. "What do you want to do, Spike?"

            He stopped, staring straight ahead at absolutely nothing. His face didn't change at all, and neither did his eyes. He just stared off into nothing, not moving a muscle. Then he pulled out his half burnt cigarette and dropped it, his hand and fingers moving in a smooth and limp fashion. He was still staring at the nothing ahead of him.

            "It doesn't matter what I want." He mumbled.

            "Then…what does matter?" She asked softly.

            He turned his head to look at her, gazing into her eyes. They bore deep inside her, straight down to her heart and soul.  "What you want." He answered quietly. "What do you want Julia?"

            Julia looked away from him. "I don't know Spike. I just don't know." She closed her eyes. "I want to run more than anything. Just run away and leave it all behind." She sighed softly. "But we can't do that."

            "Yes we can."

            "She opened her eyes and looked at him, meeting his gaze. "How?"

            "We can run, just not the two of us, not yet anyway. We could wait on the Bebop, drift in space, anything until things with the Syndicate calm down. Then we could run."

            Julia shook her head. "Spike that could be weeks, months, maybe never." She looked down at the ground. "I couldn't do that."

            "Then we'll just run." Spike said. "Vicious isn't going to chase after us on a wild goose hunt. And most of the Syndicate's men are on Mars. There are only a few elsewhere. And we can handle them."

            "Are you sure that will work?" Julia asked.

            "Yes." He answered firmly and confidently.

            "When?" She asked him. "When will we leave?"

            "Tomorrow."

            "And will you tell Jet and Faye?"

            Spike squinted a little as he looked back ahead, back at nothing. "No."

            Julia looked at him. "Are you sure?"

            "They'll only hold us down Julia." Spike reasoned. "I'll leave a note."

            "And just walk away…walk away into a dream…" She whispered softly, slowly smiling at the thought.

            "He smiled faintly and closed his eyes. "Yeah…walk away into a dream."

*          *            *            *            *

            Faye leaned back, slumping into the couch. She was so incredibly bored it wasn't even funny. It seemed like it's been ages since they went after a bounty. She wanted to go back to that, go back to how things use to be. With the calm and laid back atmosphere, with Ed typing on her computer and talking and singing to herself. Ein always popping up out of nowhere and barking obnoxiously. And Jet and Spike giving her a hard time. She wanted that back. But she knew that it would never happen.

            She heard footsteps. She opened her eyes and looked to find Julia standing at the foot of the stairs, staring at her. Faye blinked. "Julia…I didn't know you were back. Where's Spike?"

            "In the shower." Julia replied flatly. "Can I ask you something Faye?"

            She raised her eyebrows a little. "Sure, go ahead." 

            Julia just stared, her blue eyes hidden by her black sunglasses. She had that blank look on her face again, the one that got on Faye's nerves. "Why did you save me, back on Mars?"

            Faye's lips parted slightly with surprise. Then she closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "You looked like you could have used the help."

            "Why did you give my message to Spike?"

            She froze, her eyes widening just a little. She quickly regained her composure. She looked up at Julia. "Why are you asking me this?"

            Julia didn't answer. She slowly pulled out the new pack of cigarettes that Spike had bought. She carefully pulled out a single stick and placed it between her lips. Her head hadn't moved at all, she just watched the violet headed woman through her sunglasses as the small flame of the lighter started up her cigarette. She flipped the lighter closed with a click. She stood still with her hands in her pockets and smoke slowly drifting around her.

            Faye hated this. Julia and Spike were far too alike for her comfort. They both did this, were they would lapse into silence and act like they noticed nothing around them. Like falling into their own little world.

            Just when Faye opened her mouth to remind Julia that they were in the middle of a conversation, Spike came up from the lower level stairs, running a towel over his wet hair. He stopped suddenly, looking at the two woman who were staring at each other.

            He blinked a few times. "What's going on?"

            Julia turned to look at him for a second before walking off down the hall. Spike's eyes followed her until she disappeared in his room.

            "Faye?" He asked, looking back to her.

            "What?" She responded with irritation.

            Spiked pulled the damp towel away from his head. "What just happened?"

            Faye looked away and stared at some random spot in the room. "Nothing happened. She just asked me a couple questions, that's all."

            He stared at her for only a second before following Julia to his room.

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike shut the door gently. His room was dark, as usual. The shadows of the room spilled over everything, over Julia. Like the apartment they had back then. Julia sat on his bed, her sunglasses now removed. And her cigarette sat abandoned in the ashtray, still burning.

            "Julia?" He spoke softly.

            She looked up at him and blinked slowly. She stood and walked over to him. That small, faint smile appeared on her lips as she gazed at him. She reached up and put her hand around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him. Spike dropped the towel, leaving it in a damp pile on the floor. He put his hands on her hips as he kissed her back.

            "Julia…" He mumbled and pulled away. "What's going on?"

            "What do you mean?" She asked in a soft voice.

            "Back there with Faye-"

            He was cut off by Julia pressing a finger to his lips. She stared straight into his eyes. "It doesn't matter." She whispered.

            Spike closed his eyes as he smiled. "Yeah…" He opened his eyes to look at her. "Tomorrow…" He reminded.

            "Tomorrow morning." Julia finished. "Early."

            He kept his smile. "Early tomorrow morning. We'll be free."

            She leaned into him. "It's so close…yet is seems so far away."

            Spike put his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her away. He stared down at her. "That can be fixed." And he leaned down to kiss her."

*          *            *            *            *

            Spike slowly opened his eyes, looking at the dark ceiling of his room. He could hear the soft breathing of Julia laying next to him. He turned his head to look at her, studying her in the dark and silence. Her breath gently brushed across his face and he smiled slightly. Then is disappeared quickly and he sat up. He glanced back at her before slipping from the bed.

            He very quietly pulled on his cloths. Opening the closet, he grabbed his trench coat. Very slowly and carefully, he pulled open a drawer of his dresser, and reaching in, he took hold of his two guns and hid them under his coat. Closing the drawer with ease, he looked back to Julia, who was sound asleep.

            He wasn't sure how she would react to this. She was never one to get angry about something. At least not that he knew of. Coiling his fingers around the door knob, he slowly turned it and pulled the door open. He stood in the doorway, staring back at the sleeping angel in his bed. After a minute, he stepped out of his room into the hallways, softly closing the door behind him.

 Just what is Spike up to????? ^_^Okay, so, what'd you think? I know that it wasn't as long or as good as my previous chapters, but it's something. Anyway, things REALLY  pick up in the next chapter! It gets exciting and action packed! Bebop style! ^_^ So it may take me a little longer than usual. Just be patient, I'll have it done as quickly as possible! Let me know what you thought of this chapter! 


	5. Chapter 5

All right, sorry this took me so long. I was actually going to drag this chapter out to after the fight of Spike and Vicious, but that would have been a REALLY long chapter. And I have a bunch of stuff to write about what's gonna happen on the Bebop while Spike's gone, so I thought it'd be better to just split it into two chapters instead. ^_^  Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! Here's Chapter 5! Please R and R!  

Chapter 5

            Faye sat in her Redtail, a burning cigarette resting between her tired fingers. Light smoke curled up around her, the scent filling the small ship. With a weary sigh, she leaned back in the worn seat and closed her eyes. She was so tired and wanted desperately to sleep. But Spike and Julia were at it again, disrupting the quiet that night brought. She didn't know how Jet got any sleep.

            They were going to leave soon…Spike and Julia. It was just a feeling she had. The Bebop was fixed and now they were orbiting Mars. It was only a matter of time before Spike would take Julia and leave everything behind, forgetting it all. That was what he wanted, and that was what he was going to do.

            She smashed her half burnt cigarette into the ashtray of her ship. She looked up just in time to see Spike enter the hanger. She froze, hoping he wouldn't see her. Just what was he doing out here at this time of night? Fully dressed too…Driven by her curiosity, Faye leapt out of the Redtail and peered at Spike. His back was to her and he was headed for the Swordfish.

            "Spike!" Faye called out, taking a step forward. He stopped, but he didn't turn to look at her. After a second of silence, she spoke. "What are you doing out here?" He didn't answer, and the silence dragged on. "Where are you going?" Faye added, hoping that maybe he would answer this question.

            "Faye…I need you to do me a favor." Spike said, his voice quiet but firm at the same time. His back was still to her. "Don't let Julia leave the ship."

            Faye's eyes widened with confusion and she straightened her back. "What? Why?"

            "It doesn't matter why." He replied, his tone the same. "Just do it."

            "Wait a minute Spike!" Faye narrowed her eyes slightly, staring hard at the back of his head. "Where are you going that would have to make me do that?"

            Finally, Spike turned around and faced her. The look in his eyes made her swallow. It was that same look that they held at the church a while back. Dark and cold, glazed with anger and hatred, burning with the desire to rid himself of a plague. It was that intimidating look of his, and it scared her.

            "I'm going to find Vicious." Spike answered flatly.

            She stared at him in momentary silence. "Julia doesn't know, does she?" She asked finally.

            His expression didn't change as he stared back at her. Then he turned away from her as he spoke. "I'll be back by noon tomorrow." He pulled himself up onto the Swordfish.

            Faye ran after him. "Spike wait!"

            "Don't let Julia leave!" Spike called out one last time as the cockpit's dome closed over him.

            Faye's attention turned to her Redtail, hearing the communicator ringing. She rushed to the ship and quickly turned the communicator on, ending the ringing. Spike's face appeared.

            "I need you to open the hanger for me." The screen went blank.

            She looked up at the Swordfish, the engine roaring, ready to go. She couldn't control him, but she was afraid to let him go. As long as Julia lived, Spike would escape death. And she knew that. As well as the fact that Spike and Julia couldn't live freely as long as Vicious lived. He had to go, and he would come back.

            Faye rushed to the bridge. She stumbled over to the computer and hit a couple buttons and flipped a few switches. She looked up through the large window in time to see the Swordfish shrinking in the distance, quickly disappearing into Mars' red atmosphere.

            *            *            *            *            *

            Most of his life, he thought he was watching a dream. He still believed that. People never understood when he told them that. He didn't expect them to. And it wasn't something he could explain; they would have to live his life, do what he's done, and see what he had seen. It was all like a dream.

            Life with the Syndicate wasn't exciting or enjoyable. It wasn't something you could come home from and forget about at the end of the day. You couldn't take a vacation and leave it behind. It wasn't a job; it was a way of life. That was his life, and it was real. It was reality. 

            And not too long after he lost his eye came Julia. Beautiful, smart, dangerous, mysterious…His missing half. The part of him that he had lost to the Syndicate. Finding her only made his life seem more like a dream. The thought never crossed his mind that he would meet a woman and fall in love.

            Was he still living that dream?

            With his hands in his pockets, he walked up to the building. The glass doors opened in front of him, and all the men in the building turned to look at him. He dropped a grenade and kicked it. It sailed through the air and landed across the room. The instant it hit, a cloud of flame and smoke rocked the building. Windows shattered and gunfire went off.

            Gun in hand, he darted to the escalator, bullets whizzing past him. He ducked on the moving stairs and planted an explosive on the metal side. He swiftly raised and fired at two men below before whirling around and shooting a man up on the higher level.

            Reaching the top, he stepped off the escalator. He heard the clattering of footsteps down below. He ran and dived forward. Once he hit the ground, he clicked the detonator. The explosive on the escalator went off with a loud rumble.

            He ran, he ran as fast as his feet would carry him. More gunfire went off, the bullets ringing and clanking as they hit the things around him. He slammed on the up button of the elevator and then hid behind a pillar. He waited until the shots ceased and he whirled around, shooting at the enemies. The elevator bell went off and the doors pulled open. He bolted inside, shooting two more times as the doors closed.

            Spike leaned against the wall as he emptied his gun of the empty clip. Pulling another from his coat, he quickly loaded it in. He reached his hand under his coat and grabbed the second gun he had hidden there. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

*          *            *            *            *

            Faye still stood at the window, gazing out at the stars. She hadn't moved from that spot since Spike left. She wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, despite how tired she was. Spike would come back; he had to, for Julia. And she would wait there until he did. She didn't care if he didn't love her, she didn't care if he left, not at the moment. She just didn't want him to die. Even though he would be leaving almost as soon as he got back, she wanted him to survive.

            She ignored the clatter of footsteps and grunts coming up the stairs. Jet struggled to pull himself up the stairs with his leg still healing. Once he reached the top, he leaned against the wall for support.

            "Hey Faye, what was all the noise? Did someone leave, or was I dreaming?" Jet asked with a weary voice.

            "He's gone." She mumbled, staring at space.

            Jet blinked and tried to straighten up. "Who's gone?"

            "Spike."

            "Huh? Well where'd he go at this time of night?"

            "To find Vicious."

            "What?" Jet's eyes went wide and his body went stiff. "Are you sure Faye?"

            "Yes Jet." Faye replied. "I'm sure."

            Neither spoke for a minute.

            Jet looked down at the ground. "And Julia, did she go to?"

            "No."

            "Does she know that Spike left?"

            "No. We can't let her leave the ship." Faye told him. She lowered her head a little. "It's what Spike wants."

            Jet let out sigh. "Oh man. Let's hope that she doesn't wake up for another few hours." He looked back up at Faye. "He didn't happen to say when he'd be back did he?"

            "Yeah. He said he'd be back by noon tomorrow." Faye said. She squinted in thought. "Well, actually, it would be noon today." She let out a light sigh. "Do you think he'll actually live?"

            "He has to." Jet answered. "He has Julia waiting for him. He's fighting for their freedom and their lives. He'll come back Faye. I know he will."

*          *            *            *            * 

            Spike bit down on the pin and pulled it out of the grenade. He tossed it out of the elevator and it flew down the hall. He braced himself for the explosion, which went off in a matter of seconds. He stepped out into the black smoke, keeping his guns up and ready to fire. Suddenly a bullet whizzed by him and ricocheted off the wall. Instinct clicked in and he snapped into action. In an instant he whirled to face a man down the hall. He brought up both pistols and fired rapidly, and the man fired back. Spike felt impact and a jolt in his left arm, but he ignored it. Finally his opponent fell to the ground.

            Spike's fingers burned and went limp, dropping his gun. As blood trickled down around his knuckles and palm, he realized that he had been shot. He gritted his teeth.

            Hearing the bell of the elevator, his eyes narrowed and he spun around, bringing up his remaining gun to shoot. He was about to pull the trigger when he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun…and face to face with Shin.

            Spike relaxed his arm and stared at Shin with surprise. "Shin?"

            Shin suddenly stepped to the side and pulled the trigger of his pistol, taking down one of the Syndicate's men. He kept his gun and his gaze pointed down the hall.

            "Where's Vicious?" Spike asked gruffly, his voice sounding almost like a growl.

            "On the top floor." Shin said in reply. "Follow me."

            Spike followed Shin as they bolted down the hall. At hearing the elevator bell again, Spike slapped another explosive on the wall. Once they got around the corner and he heard the sound of running footsteps, he pressed the detonation button. The building shook violently, but he and Shin kept their pace.

            They flew around the corner into another hall. Spike's pulse quickened and his eyes widened at seeing a man at the end of the hall, his gun aimed at Shin. Spike called out to him, but it was too late. Shin's body trembled as he collapsed onto the ground. Baring his teeth, Spike took out the man in one quick pull of the trigger. Then he looked back at his fallen comrade.

            "Shin!" Spike knelt down next to him, watching with worry.

            Shin continued to shake as a pool of blood slowly formed around him. His lips twitched and stretched into a small smile. He opened his eyes as far as he could and looked up at Spike. "I was waiting for you to come back…" He whispered with a shaky voice. "…to come and take over…" And then his body fell limp and his eyes closed and the smile disappeared as his last breath escaped his lips.

            Spike clamped his teeth down hard as he stared at Shin's lifeless body. He didn't deserve this. Not this life and not this death. Neither did Lin, his brother.

            He felt the strong hate and anger he held for Vicious tighten in his chest. Narrowing his eyes and closing his fingers tight around his gun, he got to his feet. He turned and stared down the hall.

            _I'm going to kill you Vicious._

Okay, so yeah I took the whole last half of The Real Folk Blues. I know. I did that because I couldn't really think of anything else. I wanted to do my own thing, but well, the end on Bebop the show is just too perfect! I'm cheap like that, hope you don't mind too much! ^_^ But the fight between Spike and Vicious will be different, that includes dialog! Chapter 6 is in the making, and I hope it wont take me as long as this chapter did. I don't think it will…but I'm not making any promises! ^_^ Anyways, thanks for reading and please let me know what you think of this chapter! 


	6. Chapter 6

First off, I want to say that I am SO SORRY That this chapter took me so long! You have no idea (well, maybe you do) how hard it is to write a fight scene between Spike and Vicious! I rewrote this chapter a billion times! (Not really, but you catch my drift^_^) Even now I am not satisfied with the way this chapter turned out. The only part I do like is the very last part. I'm sure that you will all hate it as much as I do, so I forgive you! Just don't be too harsh, okay? ^_^ Anyways, this is not the last chapter, we still have one more to go, ONE MORE!!!! Ahhhhh! Well, enough of my babbling, on with the story. Please R and R and enjoy! ^_~

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Chapter 6

            At first, he didn't quite understand. Faye started acting…well, not like herself. And every time Julia was mentioned, her entire attitude shifted. You could say that she was having mood swings. But it didn't take him long to pick up on it. Faye was jealous of Julia. She didn't hate Julia, that was too strong a word. But she had a growing dislike for the woman. He could see it.

            In a way, Julia changed everything on this ship. She changed the way Faye acted, and she changed the way Spike acted. Which completely changed the atmosphere of the Bebop. He didn't even want to think about what it'd be like if Ed were still around.

            He was more than happy that Spike had found Julia, found his missing half. But he didn't like the effect that Julia was having on Faye. Every time he looked up at her, still standing at the window and gazing toward Mars so longingly…so scared…she just wasn't the same anymore.

            He wasn't looking forward to Julia waking up. He hoped that Spike would return before she did. But still, it could happen…He was not going to leave the task of keeping Julia here up to Faye. Things could go very bad and get chaotic. After all, this was Faye.

            But he hated waiting more than anything.

                                    *            *            *            *            *

            Spike kept his hard gaze forward as he walked. His arms hung at his sides, one still bleeding and numb, and the other squeezing his gun. He took his time in getting to the door.

            He was ready for this. He had never been more ready for anything in his life. He was going to end it, end this life that was still clinging to him, end this nightmare. He would remove the taint, remove his past. He was going to end it.

            Coming to a stop, he stared blankly at the large door. Shin and Lin deserved this…Annie deserved it…Julia deserved it…All those he cared for, the ones who truly hated this life, he was doing it for them. As well as himself.

            For a minute, he remembered what it was like to be friends with Vicious. Once, years ago, he had thought that Vicious was changing, becoming more violent. But it wasn't Vicious that was changing, it was him, beginning to realize that this life was not for him. They were never friends, not really. Not the kind that risk their lives for each other, not the kind that took the time to notice when something was wrong. They were more like partners.

            Anger suddenly pulsing through him, he kicked the door open.

                                    *            *            *            *            *

            Julia began to notice the things around her. The soft feel of the sheets, the cushioning of the pillow, the warmth of the mattress. And the sweet scent of Spike. She slowly opened her eyes to study him. When she saw nothing but the bed, she wasn't sure how she felt. She just stared at the spot where he was supposed to be. She ran her hand over the mattress; it was cold. 

            She closed her eyes and whispered. "Spike…"

            He had told her that he wouldn't do this. But she should've known that he wouldn't be able to help himself. He was just like that. He could only ignore something for so long before it'd drive him to chase after it.

            Julia sighed and her nails dug into the mattress. She wasn't sure if she was angry or not, and she didn't know what to do. Spike could more than take care of himself, she knew that. She didn't expect him to do this, but it didn't surprise her either.

            She knew how dangerous Vicious is, she knew that Spike was in danger. But so was Vicious. And Spike actually had something to fight for, to live for…her. And because of these reasons, she felt very calm. Still, she would not sleep until he'd return.

            She glanced at the clock. It was midnight when she fell asleep, and now it was one-thirty. He'd been gone for an hour and a half. She would wait for him.

                                    *            *            *            *            *

            Spike's fingers tightened around the pistol at his side. A menacing frown shaped his lips, and all his anger and hate showed in his eyes. He just stared at the twisted thing in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, sharpening his glare.

            "Vicious." He growled.

            Vicious smiled and evil grin at Spike as he rose to his feet, sword in hand. "I knew you'd come." He said with his low and malicious voice. "It was inevitable."

            Spike squeezed his gun even more. "Your death is what's inevitable, Vicious."

            Vicious' smile widened the smallest bit. "You're still dreaming."

            In an instant, Spike raised his gun and pulled the trigger. But Vicious was already only a few paces away from Spike, the bullet having missed him. Vicious pulled his sword out from its sheath in one swift movement. Spike ducked just barely in time while the sword swung above his head.

            Spike brought his fist up hard into Vicious' stomach, causing Vicious to take a step back. He blocked a swing of the sword with his gun before Vicious pulled his sword away and took a hard swing across Spike's chest. The blade just barely cut across his neck and collar bone. Spike stumbled back as he fired his gun at Vicious a couple more times.

            Vicious took one bullet in the shoulder as he charged at Spike again. Spike dodged out of the way of another sword swing and cracked his elbow into the back of Vicious' head. Growling, Vicious jabbed his sword back, barely missing Spike's stomach. They now stood facing each other, glaring and holding tightly onto their weapons.

            Vicious was the first to speak.

            "Do you really think you can live your whole life in a dream?" He asked, that smirk back on his face. "You have to wake up eventually, Spike."

            Spike did not respond. He continued to glare at Vicious while keeping his gun aimed at him.

            "The dream that you and Julia share…it won't last. Once she dies, you will have nothing, and the dream will be over." Vicious' smirk disappeared. "Save yourself some time and let me kill you now!"

            Vicious lashed out his sword in the blink of an eye. Spike's eyes widened as the tip cut the skin across his cheek. Gritting his teeth, he fired a shot at Vicious. The bullet hit Vicious in the leg, but he did not falter. He charged at Spike, and instead of using his sword, he grabbed Spike by the neck and slammed him against the wall. A wise, vicious smile spread across Vicious' face as he squeezed Spike's neck harder.

            "Now Spike, you die."

            A gunshot rang out loud, and Vicious froze. His smile turned to an angry and shocked clenching of teeth. He backed away from Spike, not even bothering with the bullet wound in his stomach. He looked up in a glare at Spike as he feel to his knees and hit the floor.

            Spike only stared at Vicious sprawled on the floor. He wasn't dead yet, he still had a couple minutes, maybe seconds. He had to stay to ensure Vicious' death. Spike ignored the pain and exhaustion that spread throughout his body. He kept his eyes trained on Vicious, waiting for the last breath to leave his body.

                                    *            *            *            *            *

            Faye leaned against the glass, pressing her forehead to the cool surface. It had been so long since Spike left, and Julia hasn't woken up yet. Faye hadn't left the window since Spike's departure, and Jet had stayed with her the whole time. They were both just waiting, something they both hated more than anything.

            She glanced down at Mars. She had been thinking of what Spike's life with the Syndicate must've been like. But she just couldn't picture him slaughtering people…and enjoying it. Like Vicious. She just couldn't conceive of it.

            Once Spike gets back, he and Julia are going to leave. And she would never see Spike again. He would forget her, and Jet, along with this life. He said he wouldn't forget her, but she knew better. He was going to be all along with Julia, he was going to be happy for once. Everything will shrink and fade and soon be forgotten. None of it would matter to him anymore, not that it ever did.

            She wondered how Jet felt about all this.

            She didn't get the chance to ask however. Julia stood at the top of the stairs, staring at both Jet and Faye. Faye and Jet stared back in silence. Julia had no look of emotion on her face, as usual.

            Faye stood up straight, preparing herself to tell Julia the news. She opened her mouth but hesitated. She was actually afraid to tell her. She looked down at the floor. "Julia…Spike left…"

            "I know." Julia replied in her soft voice. "And I know why he left."

            Both Jet and Faye looked at her surprised.

            Julia walked over next to Faye and stared out the window. "He said that he wouldn't, but I should've known better."

            Faye continued to stare at the floor. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get him to change his mind."

            Julia smiled. "Don't be sorry, Faye. No body can change Spike's mind. Not even me." She smiled a little wider. "He's a stubborn man."

            Faye curled her hands into fists and glared at the floor. "You don't seem too worried about him." She said coldly.

            Julia's smile faded as she continued to stare out the window. "I am scared Faye. More than you, yet less than you. I've seen what both Spike and Vicious can do. I know what they're capable of, I know their limits. They are both dangerous men and skilled at what they do. Spike can more than handle Vicious. But Vicious is still dangerous." A sudden grim expression overcame her features. "I've seen his ways of killing before."

            Faye finally looked up at Julia. "So what? Are you saying that Spike is better than Vicious? That we have nothing to worry about at all?" She yelled in anger, disbelief in her voice.

            Julia stared right back at Faye, that blank look on her face again. "I know that you love Spike, Faye."

            Faye's eyes went wide and she took a step back from Julia.

            "But you don't understand him."

            Faye's look of shock and surprise turned to one of anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but held back her voice at hearing the loud clank of footsteps, struggling up the stairs. They all turned and looked in the direction of the stairs, waiting. Finally, Spike appeared at the top, clutching one bleeding arm rather carelessly. He lifted his bowed head up to look at Julia. Time seemed to stand still as they gazed at each other in silence.

            Julia slowly strolled over to him, not once taking her eyes from his. For a moment, she just stood there in front of him and stared. And he just stared back. Then she leaned into him, resting her cheek on his shoulder and putting her arms around him.

            "Did you do it?" She asked in a soft whisper. "Are we free?"

            Spike allowed himself to smile with happiness. True joy and happiness. Not a smile of the amusement of an argument or a struggling bounty head. Not a smile of anger and victory. A true, real smile.

            He closed his eyes and returned her embrace. "Yeah. We're free."

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So there you have it. It sucks, I know. Please forgive me. I tried at least, really hard. ^_^ Anyways, thanks for reading and please let me know what you think of it. And remember, try not to be too harsh! You'll hurt my feelings!!! LOL ^_^ Anyways, chapter 7 hopefully won't take me NEARLY as long. Again I am so sorry for keeping you all waiting so long! 


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